The subject of this article is the definition of humanist culture as it emerged especially in the Renaissance Italy. In general, the article also emphasizes that the Renaissance humanist culture, whose meaning and extent are tried to be defined in its historical context is one of the founding elements of the modern world and life. This historical humanism in its philological characteristic form was based on the belief that the level of distingue and refined taste that might be actualized with the revitalization of the literature of the ancient culture and languages of Greece and Rome with a new enthusiasm would also provide an improvement in the mentality and the worldview of men. In this regard, first, we dwell on the similarities and differences between some main points of this humanist approach which claims to be new and its antecedents in the Middle Ages and try to reveal what is unique to humanists. After defining the true origins of humanism, we try to determine two crucial effects of these origins on culture and mentality through the narration of Jacob Burckhardt, who is accepted as the father of Renaissance historiography. Lastly, we mention about the foundation of the results, which are the ultimate stages of humanist culture, created in connection with the social and political fields and underlie the modern viewpoints